Chapter 20: The Pirate’s Accomplice
The Fuchuan Ship anchored at Jellyfish Island for three or four days.
A massive amount of coconuts, taro, breadfruit, mackerel, octopus, coconut crabs, and freshwater filled all the cabins.
Conservatively estimated, these supplies were enough for a voyage of two months.
The parts damaged in the typhoon were also repaired, the leaking cabins fixed, and preparations for departure completed.
On April 15th, the Fuchuan Ship set sail, heading due west, departing the island.
……
That evening, Lin Qian was writing the sea log by candlelight as usual and casually asked: “Miss Catherine, your family is Spanish nobility, right?”
“No.” Catherine didn’t know what Lin Qian was planning, but she decided not to cooperate and denied it categorically.
Lin Qian snorted coldly: “Your full name is Catherine Fahardo de Mendoza. If I remember correctly, only noblemen can add ‘de’ to their names.”
“What do you want?” She had only revealed this name once when chased by the San Felipe, never expecting Lin Qian to remember it in such an urgent moment.
“Noblemen should have considerable savings. How much ransom is your father willing to pay for you? I’m writing a blackmail letter and want your opinion as reference.” Lin Qian’s tone was flat, like asking what to have for dinner.
Catherine angrily accused: “Shameless pirate, my father won’t give you a single rial!”
“You’d better pray your father is willing to pay, otherwise your fate won’t be pleasant… How about 100,000 pesos? Can the Governor afford it?”
“Robber, devil, executioner! Damn barbarian!” Catherine kept cursing.
Lin Qian sneered: “Barbarian? Compared to the Spaniards, I’m civilized to a shocking degree.”
“Slander! Spain is the most civilized country in the world. You’re just a stinking pirate. What right do you have to accuse us?”
“What are the Spaniards doing in the New Continent right now? You don’t think your compatriots are friendly trading with the Maya People, do you? When you first arrived in the New Continent, the Inca People treated you as gods and entertained you. What did you give back to the Inca People? Plague and massacre.” Lin Qian stated calmly.
“You… you’re lying! It’s not like that.” Catherine was extremely surprised.
In the stories, brave adventurers always end up gaining gold and glory.
But after hearing Lin Qian, Catherine realized she had never cared about where the gold came from.
This shiny, alluring metal—could it grow on trees for adventurers to pick?
“Just 100,000 pesos then.” Lin Qian muttered to himself, taking out a quill pen and writing an elegantly worded blackmail letter.
After learning of Lin Qian’s plan to annex Manila, Catherine had wanted to find an opportunity to perish together with him.
But at every critical moment, she couldn’t bring herself to act, her heart filled with fear mixed with complex emotions.
……
Lin Qian had no mood to care about Catherine’s thoughts. As the ship drew closer to Luzon Island, his nerves tightened day by day. The subsequent plan was complex and intricate; not the slightest error could occur.
Late April, Lin Qian’s Fuchuan Ship east of Luzon Island caught up with a fishing boat.
The fishing boat thought they had encountered pirates, and the whole crew had resigned to their fate, abandoning resistance.
Upon learning Lin Qian wanted neither their lives nor anything else, just for them to deliver a letter to the Governor of Manila, they were overjoyed.
……
Two days later, that letter solemnly written with a quill pen was delivered to the desk in the Governor of Manila’s official residence.
Alonso Fahardo de Tenorio, the Governor of Manila at the time, slammed his fist heavily on the desk, causing the exquisite porcelain pen holder to fall and shatter.
“Damn Great Ming pirate!” Alonso squeezed out through gritted teeth.
In the office, the captain of the San Felipe—Juan—was silent as a cicada in winter.
“You once said my daughter died in a shipwreck caused by the storm?” Alonso looked at Juan, his gaze like a knife, making Juan feel deeply uncomfortable.
Juan didn’t dare look up, staring at the ground, and said resolutely: “I did see that pirate ship sail into the storm. As the Lord above, in such a terrifying storm, no ship could survive.”
“Then is this a letter from hell?” Alonso slapped the letter, making the teak desk emit a loud bang.
Alonso then addressed a Han man standing hunched in the corner: “Zhao! I had you investigate before. Any results now? Who exactly is this Great Ming pirate?”
The one called was the Kapitan of the Han Merchant Association; the Han People called him President Zhao. He trembled and said: “I’ve investigated clearly. The ship’s manifest lists Macau as the destination. When docking in Manila, the registered information was fake. The captain’s surname is Lin, seems to be called Lin Qian…”
“Lin Qian?” Alonso murmured the name, his face slightly changing: “A descendant of Lin Feng?”
President Zhao: “No… not necessarily. There are many Han clans with the same surname; he may not be related to Lin Feng.”
“That makes it easier then.” Alonso breathed a sigh of relief, pointing at the letter: “This pirate is blackmailing me for 100,000 pesos. I decide to satisfy him.”
Juan was somewhat surprised: “Using such a large sum requires approval from the royal family.”
Alonso curled one side of his mouth in a cold smile: “I don’t plan to really give it to him.”
Alonso unfolded the letter; attached was a sea chart showing the route from Manila to a small island southeast of it, marked as “Jellyfish Island”.
“This pirate thinks he’s clever, wanting me to put the silver coins on this island. But he doesn’t know that south of it are ring-shaped coral reef islands everywhere, enough to hide an entire fleet. Lieutenant General!”
Juan stood at attention and said loudly: “Governor!”
“You command the San Felipe, also take the San Juan and Nuestra Señora del Rosario, ambush in this reef area, and send this gang of pirates to the seabed! Remember, unless absolutely necessary, don’t open fire; prioritize ensuring my daughter’s safety!”
“Understood, Governor!”
“Additionally, send the Holy Justice to patrol the seas east of Manila. The fishing boat delivering the letter encountered the pirate ship there.”
“Yes, Governor!”
Juan withdrew. Alonso looked at President Zhao and irritably said: “You can get lost too.”
President Zhao hesitated, then tentatively said: “Those fishermen who delivered the letter, could they…”
Alonso’s gaze was icy: “They are accomplices of the pirates and must be hanged. Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Yes… yes…” President Zhao bowed and backed out of the governor’s office.
